SKIP (Students for Kids International Projects)

SKIP is a registered charity which campaigns for awareness of global health issues by partnering students from 13 UK branches to community projects in developing countries.

Campaign managed by: drhutley

Categories: children & young people, community-building, disability, economic justice, education, employment, training and education, gender issues, health, human rights, international aid & development, poverty, social justice

Campaign location: International

www.skipkids.org.uk
skipnational@googlemail.com
Registered Charity # 1099804 (England & Wales) SC040556 (Scotland)

SKIP is a collection of students from all over the UK working together to support vulnerable and impoverished children and communities worldwide. We believe that campaigns should take a holistic approach to a problem: therefore we equip our volunteers to advocate for a community, raise funds for it and we also send them to that community to experience its problems first hand and to be a small part of the solution.

This means that healthcare students are educated in global health issues by experiencing them first-hand, and they come away from projects feeling empowered to make a difference and campaign on the issues affecting that community. SKIP Cardiff were the first branch to set up, working with an orphanage for disabled children in Belarus, helping to change the ethos of care and the attitudes to disability. SKIP Glasgow volunteers run health promotion workshops and screening programmes in an orphanage in Malawi, SKIP Bristol run a feeding programme and equip a local youth group with the skills they need to make a difference in their community, SKIP Southampton volunteers have built latrines and nutrition centres in Madagascar. These are just 4 of the 13 branches of SKIP currently sending 201 students abroad to make a difference to the lives of communities- educating future healthcare practitioners in global health issues, and giving these communities a voice.

Over the next year we want to begin to publicise our work, inspire students to make a difference, encourage professionals to advise us, and work with other student groups to give a voice to the disadvantaged communities we want to represent. At the moment we have 13 successful groups campaigning for separate communities within their universities. We would like to take common concerns of communities across the world, and expand our campaigning beyond the campus on these issues.

To improve the health, welfare and education of vulnerable children in their communities by implementing sustainable community-led interventions
To build upon the capacity of communities in developing countries to take up issues that are important to them
For students to play a direct role in capacity building and help give communities a voice
To increase awareness of global health issues amongst healthcare students
For children and communities to benefit from the training and expertise of students (and professionals) from all disciplines of healthcare.
Both long and short-term aims should be in consultation, cooperation and harmony with the local community.
To practice in an evidence based manner – to collect and collate information and knowledge that enables effective and ongoing project development and evaluation.
To not be needed – for all projects to lead to productive outcomes and pass responsibility and ownership to local communities as appropriate.

www.skipkids.org.uk